Princess Anne the only female behind the hearse

[jeanne16]

While the funeral was beautiful, I couldn’t help feeling annoyed that Princess Anne was the only female to walk behind the hearse. Surely all the grandchildren could have been included. Instead we see Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara tottering along on high heels. It would have been so much better to see them take an equal place with the men.

Catching up with this thread I admire the patience of those explaining things that are either common knowledge, or easily looked up, or already explained three times, or all of the above.

@BilboBercow

No idea why most people are skirting around it. It's because of their penises. The Royal family only recently changed their rules that the eldest male would inherit the crown so it's now first born.

It's no surprise Philip was a traditionalist, however it was his funeral so I can't get worked up about it

Apparently if you stay with the royals at Balmoral, the men go down to breakfast but the women are served breakfast in bed. Lady Glenconner reminisced that Cherie Blair was most put out by this.

I'd have loved it - waved my DH a cheery goodbye while I tucked in without having to leave my pit!

YABU. And I’m a radical feminist.

Zara and Eugenie haven’t long since given birth so may not have wanted to walk anyway, and the Royals are famous sticklers for tradition. Men of the family walking behind funeral corteges is traditional throughout the European royal houses.

The service was beautiful, and so fitting for Prince Philip. I can’t get worked up about who walked where.

Apparently if you stay with the royals at Balmoral, the men go down to breakfast but the women are served breakfast in bed.

Traditionally just married women would breakfast in bed.

To be honest, I think the walking behind the coffin, etc is actually a male thing, but P. Anne insists on going as well.
Apparently, in the past, females did not always attend funerals at all. Not something I am specifically aware of although this came up in a BBC TV serial (Cranford), some years ago - fiction, anyway, but presumably based on real etiquette at the time.

After years of some people being appalled that two children walked behind their mother’s coffin, I can’t believe that some people now feel two women who gave birth (one by c section) just weeks ago, and two other children, should walk as part of their grandfather’s funeral service.

Anne would have been immediately behind the hearse because she was the second born. At a guess Anne's husband was there because he married into the Royal Family the same as Phillip did so they would have had a lot in common.

It was Prince Philip who decided who he wanted walking behind his coffin. As has been stated multiple times ffs!
He clearly had reasons and good for him, it was a beautiful and moving occasion that will be remembered for years to come.
All the speculation in the world won’t change that fact let alone some of the misogynistic and ridiculous crap on this thread.

@Laggartha

Apparently if you stay with the royals at Balmoral, the men go down to breakfast but the women are served breakfast in bed.

Traditionally just married women would breakfast in bed.

So interesting! Do you know why this is? Is it because married women who share a bed with their husbands have clearly been doing The Unthinkable and so are not fit to be seen at breakfast? In my imagination that's the reason, though it's probably something more prosaic like to give the ladies more time to get ready.

There are so many clever people on this thread, I wish more posters would read these interesting posts before writing their own bizarre theories that have already been debunked many times.

@BilboBercow

No idea why most people are skirting around it. It's because of their penises. The Royal family only recently changed their rules that the eldest male would inherit the crown so it's now first born.

It's no surprise Philip was a traditionalist, however it was his funeral so I can't get worked up about it

Are you saying Princess Anne has a penis?

Are you saying Princess Anne has a penis?

The next Royal scandal to come out? She certainly has more balls than her 3 brothers put together.

@SoupDragon don't give DM any ideas😂

My MIL was scandalised that the women went to the crematorium with the men after my Dad's funeral (this century in case you're wondering!). It just wasn't the done thing in her social circles/ traditions, or for her generation, and I am sure it was a tradition that was not questioned at all by the female members of the royal family.

I would imagine that Philip very much wanted Anne there as they were really close. I loved that she was and thought it was a really touching part of the funeral.

I have to say, it's really interesting to read about the male female thing in general population in here when it comes to funerals. I remember funerals since I was little and it was always a mix and no one seemed to think it should be other way (not uk) Now I wonder whether it's local differences or if no one simply never mentioned anything🤔

I'm not sure what people want of the RF? Surely a lot of the pomp and tradition is what they are about? They obviously have modernised a bit just like the rest of us but if you throw all of that tradition away then they they are just a rich family and might as well just be celebs.

I'm ambivalent mainly, I quite like keeping up with what is happening but if they completely disappeared I also wouldn't be too bothered.

@Laggartha

Catching up with this thread I admire the patience of those explaining things that are either common knowledge, or easily looked up, or already explained three times, or all of the above.

Absolutely!

@Pinchoftums

God you can't have it both ways. If you accept that the ridiculous royal lifestyle and fanfare are paid for by the public you have to therefore allow it to be open to criticism. Yesterday probably costs hundred of thousands pounds of our taxes. It could have paid for all the funerals of every who died this month.

I very much doubt that. It’s part of military duties, all those troops weren’t paid extra for covering the funeral, they were doing the ceremonial part of their day job. A part they seem to be honoured and humbled to play.

I'm more concerned that pervy Andrew was there!

@constantsky

I'm more concerned that pervy Andrew was there!

Regardless of what Andrew has or hasn't done, it was his father's funeral, he was hardly going to skip it.

@constantsky

I'm more concerned that pervy Andrew was there!

Concerned that he was at his own father’s funeral?

People get release out of prison for funerals. Much as I'm no fan of Andrew, to exclude him wasn't appropriate.

I'm more concerned that pervy Andrew was there!
There's always someone willing to turn any thread about the royal family round to Andrew.

Regardless of what someone has or hasn't done, do you actually believe that citizens of this country who have not been found guilty in a court of law should be banned from attending the funeral of one of their parents?
Talk about trying to derail a thread.

How very dare he go to his own father’s funeral.

@Exhausteddog

I bet those pall bearers had to practise going up steps holding a coffin a few times. Especially as I think Royal coffins are lead lined.

I thought the same. Imagine the weight of responsibility, in every sense of the word.I thought they must have practised, especially steps (although presumably with something of similar dimension and weight rather than the real thing)

DH was a pall bearer earlier last week and he said he was glad the walk was only about 20 yards! (And that was a standard coffin). One of PPs pallbearers was visibly red and sweating by the time they reached the front of the chapel.

Yes, they practised A LOT. I was bearer party for a military funeral when I was in the Army and the pallbearers practice with a coffin weighted down with sandbags and covered by a spare flag. It has to be exactly right because you are doing this for the family. It is very much more difficult than it looks, made a lot harder in our case because we were burying one of our friends.

At a friend's (non military) funeral, one of his daughters was a pallbearer. She insisted on doing it.

Princess Anne is also the only female in the Royal Party standing at the Cenotaph, now the Queen watches from the balcony. Very much her father's daughter.

It was obvious to me as someone who has, at best, a passing interest in the royals, that (after Googling who he was) Peter Phillips was in the middle due to being the oldest grandchild.

I really don't get why people seem to think that William and Harry needed 'to be kept apart'. As if they are going to have a ding dong at their grandfathers funeral that's being broadcast on national tv .

They seemed to be getting along fine to me on the walk back up and that's the thing about families isn't it? You don't necessarily have to like or agree with everything they do but you still love each other and at times such as this when there is a bereavement you put those differences aside. I think way too much is being made of this 'on different paths' thing, of course they are! William is going to be king, Harry isn't, it doesn't get much more different.

And as for Zara and Eugenie not walking, they just had babies! Leave them alone!